Jimmy Butler Doubles Down on Pelicans Claim Despite Loss: Heat Are 'Better Team'

Jimmy Butler told reporters following a February win over the New Orleans Pelicans—which saw him and three other players ejected for an in-game scuffle—that his Miami Heat would win the rematch because they were "just a better team."

So much for that. The Pelicans easily won Round 2 in the matchup, 111-88, earning the team some well-deserved trolling rights on social media:

But Butler wasn't backing down from his original comments:

The two teams split the season series, though the Pelicans (43-27) hold the superior overall record compared to the Heat (38-32) by a notable margin. New Orleans earned a blowout win on Friday without Brandon Ingram in the lineup and with Zion Williamson managing just four points, though the Heat played the contest without Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kevin Love.

Recent playoff performances favor the Heat in the debate, though the NBA is a "What have you done for me lately?" sort of business. We'll give this one to the Pelicans by split decision.